The day after my husband left on his work trip he started to feel ill. By the end of the night he had a positive rapid Covid test. So he stayed put and started isolation. Back home we hunkered down to quarantine because we had been exposed to him in the 48-hour window prior to his being symptomatic. I notified the people that needed to know, sterilized the house, then sat back and wondered… How bad will it get for my husband? Will the children get sick? Will I get sick? This prompted a weird mix of anticipation and acceptance. 

At this point, the forthcoming results are out of our hands. And I have learned in many “touch and go” situations throughout my life that you may as well carry on with ordinary living while you wait for more information or outcomes. So the girls and I resumed our day-to-day routines, albeit away from other people, as the quarantine clock started ticking. And thus far, thankfully, we are all okay. 

This situation has reminded me of a story my mom shared with me when I was younger. We had a neighbor once (who I was too young to recall) that developed cancer. In surgery the doctors took a look inside, closed him back up and said it was too far gone to treat. He was advised to go home and get his things in order. So that’s what he did. Once everything was “in order” he then he started waiting around, wondering when he might die. After becoming bored with that, he realized he may as well enjoy the day before him... and the day after that... and the day after that. And so he went about living one day at a time as well as he could. Days became weeks. Weeks became months. Months became years. The cancer left his body and he was healed! 

None of us can possibly know the struggles we might face in the future, and we don’t have to look far to see that many are currently coping with very serious circumstances. Yet this week I’ve been reminded that once we’ve done our part to manage a particular challenge, we can surrender the rest and get on with living as best we can in the here and now. 

May you be inspired!